Millions of people tune in to the mega millions drawing live every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 pm eastern time from Atlanta, Georgia on a weekly basis. The popularity of the game has exploded in recent years, and the mega millions drawing live has greatly increased the level of excitement. Aside form the astronomical jackpot winnings that the game generates, having the mega millions drawing live really brings the anticipation to a whole new level and sets mega millions apart from any other lottery game.

Played by millions of Americans each week, Mega Millions really has set itself apart as the premiere lottery game in the country. However, it is important to know the history of the game, and the slight variations there are for collecting winnings in each state. While it is a multi-jurisdictional game, the individual state lotteries are responsible for payouts on the secondary prizes, or anything other than the jackpot.

Mega millions was originally known as The Big Game and it began in 1996 with six participating states: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia. New Jersey joined the game in 1999, followed by New York and Ohio in May of 2002 and came to be known by its current name: Mega Millions. The game has had some of the largest payouts in history, with a world record jackpot cash value of $474 million being split by 3 people on March 30, 2012.

Mega millions has become one of the most popular games because it is relatively easy to play. It only costs participants $1.00 per game. Players then choose six numbers that they want to play from two separate sets ' five different numbers from 1-56 and one number from 1-46, which represents the bonus yellow ball. Players also have the option to select Easy Pick, which will automatically select the numbers for them randomly. Superstitions play a big part of the fun when choosing which numbers to play, as many people pick numbers that carry personal meaning to them. With the enormous number of possible combinations, players have approximately a 1 in 175,000,000 chance of winning the jackpot, which means you would have matched all six of your numbers to the winning numbers that were drawn.

On top of the jackpot, there are other possibilities to win at mega millions. If you match all 5 of your numbers, but miss the ever elusive bonus ball, then you win a prize of $250,000. The chances for this are roughly 1 in 4,000,000. When you match 4 of your numbers and the bonus ball, you win a prize of $10,000. The odds are a bit better here at about 1 in 700,000. If you were to match 4 winning numbers and no bonus ball, or you were to match 3 winning numbers plus the bonus ball, you are eligible to win a prize of $150. Matching 3 winning numbers with no bonus ball garners you a prize of $7. While matching 2 winning numbers and the bonus ball will win you $10. One winning number and one bonus ball is worth $3 and if you just match the bonus ball but nothing else, you win $2. So you can see that even if you don't win the jackpot, there are lots of other chances to win when playing mega millions.

While Mega Millions has become an immensely popular game to play, it is important to remember that it is still a form of gambling, and should be treated as such. Only responsible adults who are of legal age to gamble should play Mega Millions, or any other lottery game. It is also important to be aware of each state's rules and laws when playing Mega Millions. Some states have taxes on lottery winnings, while others do not. California also pays out its secondary prizes pari-mutuel, which means that the prizes are not fixed and depend on the number of sales and winners.